Jennifer Martin, senior associate provost and dean of the Graduate School at Texas Woman’s University, offered her perspective as a non-librarian advocate for the university’s library at the Advocacy Institute Workshop. “I see libraries making a difference in the development of human capital, and I think we need to think about it in that way,” she declared.
Martin offered a handout with 10 tips for effective advocacy, including focus on key decision-makers, cultivate advocates in the same way as you would cultivate donors, and be active rather than passive. “Volunteer to be a part of important things and hard things” in your community to make yourself valuable to it, she recommended.
She also warned against assumptions. For example, it is unwise to assume that library staff automatically know how best to advocate for their institutions. “Take the time to train your staff, because negative word of mouth is a killer.”
You also should not assume that decision-makers know the library’s value. Libraries have undergone major changes in recent years, but “these changes may not be apparent to people who decide funding. You always need to consider if things are as evident as you think,” Martin said.
Martin addressed advocacy from an academic perspective, but the program also included speakers on public and school library advocacy, and an overview of ALA President Molly Raphael’s Empowering Voices initiative. Pat Tumulty, executive director of the New Jersey Library Association, welcomed attendees, and urged them all to sign the White House petition to ensure that every child in America has access to an effective school library program, which requires nearly 15,000 more signatures by February 4 to require White House response.
